Forensic Investigation of Abandoned GSIS Building in Manila

Abstract

This descriptive study aimed to conduct a forensic investigation of the abandoned Government Service Insurance System (GSIS) building in Manila. The fire incident caused the five-storey GSIS building to lose its strength due to heat in addition to the exposure of reinforcement due to weathering and deterioration of the structure as years pass by. The research has shown that the abandoned GSIS building has to change its use and to lessen its occupant capacity for the structure to serve its purpose and put into use again. Some interesting insights of the study are: a) Deterioration damage of concrete of the abandoned GSIS building is increasing as the years pass by; b) The abandoned GSIS building is still in serviceable condition in terms of its structural members; c) Steel corrosion and concrete deterioration are the major factors that affected the stability and integrity of structural members of the abandoned GSIS building in Manila; d) There is a difference between the design loads used in the GSIS building in Manila from the present design codes of National Structural Code of the Philippines (NSCP) and American Concrete Institute (ACI) codes.